Windshield glass replacement - safelite ?

[Magiclamp]

have anyone use safelite to replace the front windshield glass? Just wonder how good r them, working on bmw i3

 

[Anonymous]

Most people get their windshield replaced at a BMW Dealership, as a lot of the front of the car/body panels have to be taken off to get at the windshield to replace it. Not sure I'd trust Safelite to do that. Other considerations for using your BMW Dealer are these, as published by BMW:

1. The body shell or life module on the i3 are made completely of carbon fiber. While this construction component possesses strength and rigidity qualities similar to steel, it is very lightweight and can be extremely delicate to work on. Conventional glass removal tools used on steel and aluminum vehicles must not be used on BMW i-brand carbon fiber vehicles for risk of damage to the mating surfaces. Damage to these surfaces can create structural problems, may form leaks, and are very difficult if not impossible to repair.

2. The bonded glass pieces of the i3 are stressed structural members integral to performance and safety. The type of bonding adhesive used along with the size and shape of the bead profile is critical to maintaining high BMW standards. Failures caused by adhesive or application shortcomings may have catastrophic consequences.

3. BMW recommends the use of Authentic BMW replacement glass because it is the only glass thoroughly tested to perform to BMW’s stringent crash and structural damage tests.

 

[i3Houston]

I have used safelite last summer and have not had any issues yet.

BMW dealership actually calls specialist from Safelite or another 3rd party for windshield replacements. This may not be always true though.

Safelite was pleasure to work with. They calibrated the ACC camera as well. The who process took about 2 hours and cost about ~$800 bucks. Dealership wanted double. My insurance was willing to pay about a grand so..!

 

[Anonymous]

I have used safelite last summer and have not had any issues yet.

That's good to know. Did you use one recommended by your BMW Dealer, as having expertise on i3's?

Have not been a fan of the local Satellite franchise. They changed out a windshield in my son's classic Volvo a few years ago, did a crappy job and it leaked, shorting out the wiring behind the dash, and causing a fire that basically destroyed the wiring harness. They then refused to honor their installation warranty - would not even refund the cost of the installation.

 

[i3Houston]

Dealership didn't but when I was scheduling an appointment with them, they mentioned that a vendor would come to install.



I watched them install, they seemed to know what they were doing.

 

[frictioncircle]

Other considerations for using your BMW Dealer are these, as published by BMW:

MKH –

Would you be able to share a link to that information?

I'm looking at a potential windshield replacement and having detailed information that dealer replacement is recommended over a third-party would be very helpful.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

Would you be able to share a link to that information?

It was in a doc on getting a Dealership body shop i-certifed for repairs to BMW i8 and i3, but have not been able to find it again. The location I thought it was on, no longer has it, so maybe was not supposed to be 'public and was taken down.

 

[Magiclamp]

So i end up stay with safelite since my insurance wont pay more. My experience with them is not too positive. So the windshield they used it is oem from bmw and that is a plus. The only issue i have with them is that they didnt do a very good job on putting the trims back on. Very lousy work. I actually have to go back 3 times and have to explain to them what was not done correctly. Even now there are still a few things is not installed correctly but i just give up and try to live with it. Just to be fair, the i3 is a very complicated constructed car. The whole interior is held up by a few trims.

 

[i3Houston]

I went to a safelite location closer to NASA, bunch of i3 there so mine was not first i3 they worked on

 

[imkazaam]

My insurance was willing to pay about a grand so..!

Did you still have to pay your deductible? Also why was your insurance wiling to pay? Did a rock hit your windshield while driving or something?

My windshield got cracked recently...

 

[i3Houston]

My deductible is $500 so that's what I paid.

Safelite invoice was about thousand dollars, including camera calibration. Dealership was asking $1600 and insurance was willing to around 1100.

A 10 wheeler kicked a golf size rock... A quarter size area on windshield was completely shattered.... Nothing penetrated luckily!

 

[imkazaam]

Got it. The quote I got from Safelite was just under $1000.

 

[imkazaam]

I have used safelite last summer and have not had any issues yet.

BMW dealership actually calls specialist from Safelite or another 3rd party for windshield replacements. This may not be always true though.

Safelite was pleasure to work with. They calibrated the ACC camera as well. The who process took about 2 hours and cost about ~$800 bucks. Dealership wanted double. My insurance was willing to pay about a grand so..!

I sure wish the quote I got was about $800. For mine they added $300 to calibrate the camera. The appointment is booked, but I'm double checking everything since it could be shady. The lady said 'glass prices like doubled' a week ago... uh-huh.

 

[brillon]

I had my windshield replaced three times in two years. All by SafeLite.

It's true... my BMW dealer said that they have SafeLite replace windows and that they don't do it themselves.

The first replacement was due to vandalism. Then again just over a year later, I noticed a crack at the base of the windshield. The second time it was replaced, one of the painted windshield trim pieces blew off the same day on the ride home. They eventually made good on fixing the problems. They ordered the two A-pillar trim pieces and had them painted and also got two new trim pieces that attach to the top of the fenders, cover the base of the windshield and extend to the side mirrors -- but this took three weeks.

They replaced the poorly aligned windshield (AGAIN) and the broken bits with new parts. Apparently when it was done that second time they had broken 2 of the four clips that hold on the a-pillar trim pieces. They removed the after-market windshield and replaced it with an OEM BMW one.

Like with anything, if you get someone who knows how to do the job, you can get a better result.
Ask if they have replaced windshields for the BMW i3.

And yes each time it was about $1,200. My auto insurance has no deductible for glass.

Even though they did a less than good job that second time, I would recommend going to SafeLite. The third time was the charm.
If it's cold out (less than 50 degrees) they recommend bringing the car to them. I would bring your car to the SafeLite store location no matter what.

 

[i3Houston]

There were 3 technicians worked together to install so going to shop has that advantage.

 

[Hengus]

Just to add to this topic. Getting it wrong can be expensive:

https://www.speakev.com/threads/massive-damage-bill-for-autoglass-following-new-windscreen.143121/